Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 97: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

OUT OF THE WORLD FOR A WHILE. was. I had left Allison just lately, you know.” ‘For God’s sake, you’re going to keep your mouth shut about that, aren’t you?”’ Miller asked. “It won’t do Allison any particular good to have that come out just now. I said we had been making a busi- ness call.” “And you were,” Seagrave hinted. Miller gave him a sharp inquiring look, but Seagrave’s face was void of any look of significance. Miller turned to Holmes. ‘“‘ These cops are fresh, Mr. Holmes,” he said. ‘‘ They won’t let me give bail for Allison.” “ Are you in a position to give bail?” Holmes asked. “T can get it,’ Miller said, and he flushed, “Tl speak.to the sergeant,” Holmes said. He went up to the wicket. “ How do, Mr. Holmes?” the policeman said. ‘‘ What can I do for you?” “Can bail be arranged for Allison?” Holmes asked. ‘That bird is kinda wabbly on his pins,” the officer said. ‘‘ I don’t know as it’s go- ing to do any harm to let him stew where he is for a bit. If we let him out now he’s liable to run his car over the top of a house. Maloney, who brought him in, said he was trying to loop the loop down on Main Street but couldn’t quite make it. You his lawyer, Mr. Holmes?” ‘For a minute,” Holmes said. The policeman dropped a heavy eyelid over a bright eye. He lowered his voice so that Seagrave and Miller could not hear him. “He ain’t quite in your line, is he, Mr. Holmes?” he asked. ‘‘ You better leave him to some of these here shysters. They’d be about his speed. You know we been keepin’ our eye on him for some little bit. I understand a request come from the Fed- eral officials to see if he was making a col- lection of kids’ penny banks or anything like that. You get me?” “Oh,” said Holmes, raising his voice, “he’s a well-known business man, isn’t he? _A promoter.” Say be towed out. Holmes?” 7123 “Sure, he is, and it’s a damn shame to have to lock him up like he was one of them old-time common soaks. But the law, it seems, don’t discriminate none. Stiff thing, this here law.”’ “You’re not going to accept bail for him?” Holmes asked. ‘‘ Rather irregular, you know.” : “Oh, I got to take bail,” the officer said. “ But a bailed man has got to be able to go out of this here snug harbor under his own steam. I don’t know as they’s anything in the rules that pervides that I shall let him You want to see him, Mr. “Td like to.” “ Awright. C’mon.” He walked along behind the wicket and opened a door and came out into the main room. He opened another door and called to the turnkey. | “Gentleman to see the guest in No. 624,” he said. “ The one that just regis- tered.” “Any objection to these other two men going in?” Holmes asked. ‘Not unless they’re des’prit characters,” the officer said with the levity and laxity of a small-town policeman. “If you say they’re all right, go ahead.” The turnkey led them to a third door, opened it, and ushered them into a corridor. He indicated a cell at the end of the row. Holmes, followed by Miller and Seagrave, went to the cell. Allison looked up from the bunk where he had been sitting with his head in his hands. He got to his feet and came to the bars. “Ah, Mr. Holmes,” he said thickly. ‘Come to take care of my case, have you? Damned outrage, I call it. Can’t a re- spectable citizen drive home without be- ing picked up by some infernal cop? I was tired out from overwork and must have nodded at the wheel. Nothing more to it than that. Not a thing in the world.” ‘““Are you sober now, Allison?” Holmes asked. “How did you happen to spill over?” “Why, my dear fellow—” “Never mind that part of it. Are you sober enough to walk straight?” “Certainly,” Allison said sullenly. cComicbooks * f ~ ee - - 6= = a «~~ | i : oe = — $i = > a _-